'Llais Dyslecsia' (translated - Voice of Dyslexia) – A Creative Project to highlight the voices of children with dyslexia in the Welsh language and a Call for Action.
'Tu Draw' (translated 'Beyond') was written by Welsh-language Children’s Laureate) Casi Wyn after creative workshops with inspiring 9-11 year old children. The purpose of the project is to raise awareness of dyslexia in Wales by bringing children with dyslexia together to share and give a platform to their experiences - to give voice to dyslexia in Wales.
Shari Llewelyn the Producer and artist of the project intention was to raise awareness and shed light on dyslexia issues relating to the Welsh language through the power of the arts, to try to gain a better understanding of the condition in Wales - its effects and benefits, and to install confidence and pride in children with dyslexia, after she discovered that her daughter has dyslexia.
Funded by Arts Council of Wales Lottery fund; Miles Dyslexia Centre, Bangor University; Casi Wyn the children's poet of Literature Wales and the support of Tryfan School, Bangor, a series of workshops were held at Pontio over the February 2023 half term and were carefully planned to raise the children's confidence by celebrating their strengths, their creative voices and their success. The musician Elin Taylor and the dancer Angharad Harrop also joined to inspire.
A short documentary film was produced by Ffion Jon Williams from the workshops, which includes interviews with the children, parents, and project partners. The video 'Tu Draw' (Beyond) features Casi Wyn and Nanw Jones, one of the children who took part in the project, reciting the poem by Casi which is a response to the children during the workshops. There is also a layer of animation by the designer Dan Parry Evans interwoven with Shari Llewelyn's illustrations.
Casi Wyn, Children’s Laureate of Wales said: "My intention when creating the poem 'Beyond' was to create something that the children would own... my aim was to listen as much as possible. What 'Beyond' is referring to, is that we respect and honour the power of words to help us communicate with each other, but that things are not so black and white 'it does not mean if you can use words then you are clever’ - that we measure beyond that."
We hear from Dr Manon Jones Director of the Miles Dyslexia Centre and from Ruth Elliott the coordinator of the centre and this project "Hopefully in the future there will be more projects like 'Voice of Dyslexia' to give everyone a chance to have somewhere safe to develop and the skills to be successful with dyslexia."
The information is often misleading around dyslexia and there is very little attention and consistency available in Welsh. There are often concerns of failure among children and adults, which can cause other conditions. Because there is not enough understanding about dyslexia available, with information and resources in the Welsh language in Wales often difficult to find and costly.
Call for change - The need to act, for free training for all teachers in Wales, that is bilingual so that teachers do not have to pay for training themselves during their own precious time.
Contribute your experiences:
The Miles Dyslexia Centre recognizes problems linked to late diagnosis for children and a lack of resources and training for educators, specifically in the Welsh language. As a result of the project, the Centre invites people with dyslexia; people who have children, partners, friends, or parents with dyslexia; and people who work with those with literacy difficulties and dyslexia to share their experiences. Experiences can be shared by following this link. The information collected will support the work of the Miles Centre to make the path to diagnosis and accessing support easier.
Where to see the films:
The project will be shared on AM here: https://amam.cymru/llaisdyslexia